Jacob Tausk

Jacob Tausk (Taussig), of Prague, was a devoted follower of Shabbetai Tzvi. The only information known about him is gleaned from his poem “A Beautiful Song about the Messiah,” which was published in Amsterdam in the summer of 1666, at the height of the excitement regarding Shabbetai Tzvi. Indeed, it triumphantly announces the imminent redemption of the Jewish people. Tausk was not concerned with poetic or artistic conventions; the poem faithfully reflects the spiritual state of the Jewish masses at the time of its composition, allowing us to hear the voice of the people.